Police arrest two teens in gang-related slaying of 16-year-old in Fort Washington

Officials say suspects shot into crowd as birthday party ended

by Daniel J. GrossStaff Writer

Anonymous callers with tips surrounding the killing of Marcus Antonio Jones, 16, led Prince George’s police to two suspects, known gang members who were both arrested for first- and second-degree murder.

Additionally, police said there may be one additional suspect responsible and are seeking his whereabouts.

Akil Darnell Ings, 17, of the 3800 block of St. Barnabas Road in Suitland, was arrested late Wednesday night and Kquantae Markies Fisher, 19, of the 6100 block of Kildare Court in Fort Washington, was arrested Thursday morning. They are both being held without bond, according to police.

Police announced Thursday details about the incident and said that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between local rival gangs at a Friday night birthday party in Fort Washington.

Police Chief Mark Magaw said the supervised party was invite-only, but invitations spread to others who were not invited and attendees who were members of separate gangs were present.

“As tensions escalated, additional gang members arrived,” Magaw said.

Magaw said when the party ended at midnight, attendees exited the home and suspects fired shots into the crowd. While Jones was the only one struck, Magaw said police are unaware if Jones was intentionally targeted.

Police said Friendly High School principal Raynah Adams confirmed Jones was a part of Danger Boys, a local gang whose members attend Friendly.

The suspects are believed to be a part of Baby Haiti, a local rival gang, police said.

“We are aware of associations of individuals and are looking at mentoring these children,” said Adams.

Magaw said a handgun was recovered from the scene and is now undergoing ballistic testing to determine who was in possession of the weapon.

He said police do not have enough information to say whether anyone fired back at the suspects, but said witnesses have told police they saw two guns on scene. Jones was struck by a bullet once, but witnesses told police they heard three or four shots, police said.

Maj. Michael Straughan, the commander of the department’s homicide unit, said police have received tips regarding the third suspect, but they do not yet have enough information to identify the suspect and make an arrest.

The two arrests come just hours after police held a community meeting Wednesday night at Friendly to solicit tips from parents, students and concerned residents. More than 150 attended.

Taylor Douglas, 14, a freshman at Friendly, said she was planning on going to the same party that night, but was tired after getting back from a cheerleading competition and did not end up going. Her mother, Donna Douglas, said she was thankful her daughter didn’t attend.

“It’s sad to think that this is going on. These kids have parties all the time. You’d never expect this,” said Donna Douglas.

Since the shooting, the school has put in place an additional resource officer and increased county police officers at school grounds during school hours, Straughan said.

Straughan also said police have been patrolling the neighborhood where the shooting occurred and Magaw said police are executing search warrants on the suspects’ homes to look for additional information.

“The community played an instrumental role to help the department solve this case but there’s still more work to be done,” said police spokeswoman Julie Parker.